Michail Antonio strikes for West Ham as Liverpool suffer stage fright in draw

The door is starting to creak open for Manchester City. With the weight of history threatening to pin them down, Liverpool’s title charge lost further momentum on an evening of suffocating tension. Even the gift of an offside goal was not enough to extinguish the nerves choking the Premier League’s pacesetters, heightening the impression that Jurgen Klopp’s red machine is finally showing signs of wear and tear.

This was the second successive game Liverpool were gripped by stage fright, with their anxiety captured by the moment when Divock Origi fluffed a glorious opportunity to steal the points with the final kick of a fraught contest. Time stood still when Naby Keita’s lofted pass fooled West Ham’s stubborn back-four and the stage seemed set for Origi, on as a late substitute, to repeat the stoppage-time heroics that won the Merseyside derby two months ago.

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